Chapter 48
Troy entered the Duncan family’s living room, a place unfamiliar to his steps. The moment should have been filled with pride, but with the day’s heavy mission, he stood before Lloyd, feeling anything but confident.
Forcing a smile, he piped up, “Lenore didn’t recognize you, Mr. Carlos Duncan. It was a mistake on her part, and I’ve brought her here to make amends.”
Carlos, looming nearby, let out a dismissive chuckle at Troy’s words. “And who are you?”
Troy’s smile wavered. “I’m Lenore’s father, and I’m prepared for you to deal with her as you see fit.”
Carlos had been seething, but learning that Troy was Lenore’s father made him smirk. “You’re catching on.”
Troy had never felt so humiliated, but he couldn’t afford to show his anger. He tugged at his mouth and called out toward the door. “Get in here and apologize to Mr. Carlos Duncan!”
Lenore, leaning against the doorway with her hands in her pockets, exuded a casual and unrepentant attitude, her pale skin and wild, lonely aura reminiscent of an untamed wolf. Her voice was casual as she said, “I’ll apologize if he’s man enough to handle it.”
Carlos’s gaze swept over her striking face with a glint of greed in his eyes as he rubbed his sore wrist, smiling smugly.
He said, “See how reasonable your dad is being? If you get on your knees and say you’re wrong, we’ll call it even for hitting me. Otherwise…”
His threat was cut short by a cane that lashed out, striking Carlos in the back. “Shut your mouth!” Lloyd yelled.
His action was swift and forceful, which caught Carlos off guard and sent him face–first to the floor with a pained cry. Carlos writhed, his eyes wide. “Grandpa, why did you hit me?”
Ignoring him, Lloyd walked to the door to look at Lenore, his eyes widening in recognition. “It’s really you!”
Lenore’s eyebrows lifted slightly with a cold smile on her lips. “Your grandson was driving drunk. He broke the law and used his status to get Ken suspended. He messed with my man. Don’t you think he deserved it?”
“Lenore!” Troy snapped out of his shock at Carlos being struck, grabbing Lenore’s sleeve and pulling her into the room, his face darkening. “I brought you here to apologize to Mr. Carlos Duncan, not to talk to Lloyd like that.”
He figured that angering Lloyd would be the end of the Smedley family in Jinslenburg.
Lenore straightened her posture, smoothing out the uniform sleeve wrinkled by Troy’s grip, her cold eyes slanting toward him. “You ask him if he dares to let me apologize,” she said, her tone outrageously defiant, laced with icy thorns.
At this point, Troy thought Lenore was still acting out of control, and he raised his hand to strike her. But before it could fall, someone grabbed his wrist. When he saw the man who appeared out of nowhere, Troy’s face changed. “It’s you again!”
It was the same man who had stopped him from hitting Lenore at Culinary Ascent the other night. Troy thought he really was a persistent ghost.
Silas flung Troy aside, his gaze cold, and he said in a crisp voice, “Only losers hit their daughters.”
Wayne also poked his head in from outside, his smile charming but devoid of warmth. “Forcing your daughter to apologize without even asking if it’s right or wrong? You must be a terrible dad, right?”
Their silent arrival put Lloyd, already on edge, even more on guard. “Mr. Faulkner, Mr. Garcia.”
Silas always seemed to carry a scent of white sandalwood, calming and purifying the atmosphere.
Lenore wasn’t surprised to see him here, nor did she ask questions. She looked at Lloyd, her impatience growing. “Is there anything else you want to say?”
Lloyd’s gaze fixed on her, his lips trembling for a moment before he bowed to Lenore. “I apologize for my grandson’s behavior, Ms. Smedley. Regarding Ken, I will immediately restore his position.”
He added, “Carlos’s father died young, and he’s the only heir in the Duncan family. I beg you to be generous and forgive him this once. I promise to discipline him properly in the future!”
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Extra Check–in
